Bring Me To Life
by twistedartist
Summary: The trio has been caring for Snape for ten years, when signs his body is shutting down are seen. Hermione decides to save him. Romione, Hinny. No romance for Snape.


_How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?_

_Leading you down into my core,_

_Where I've become so numb…_

"Leglimens!" Hermione plunged into the man's dark eyes, searching for some awareness. She caught a fragment here and there, but cognizance was non-existent.

_Without a soul_

_My spirit sleeping somewhere cold_

Snape awoke, feeling something off. He sat up, and shrugged off the lingering sleepiness. He rolled over and sat up, shivering slightly at the chill in the air. He got to his feet and crossed the room, expertly avoiding the furniture in the darkness. He shut the window letting in the cold air, and retreated back to the bed, and hunkered down.

_The snake slithered away, followed by its Master. Severus tried to draw a breath as those infuriating youths appeared. The air was gargling wetly in his throat. He forced a few words out, past the grievously damaged vocal cords. He felt tears run down his face, as the boy shook memories into a vial. Severus looked the boy, then glanced at the boy's two friends. He let a prayer cross his mind, and closed his eyes. He heard the teen's footsteps rattle away from him. It was silent, except for his wet breaths. He forced his eyes open, and tried to look around. A gasp tried to slip out of him. A dementor was hovering over him, rasping breaths matching Severus's own. He felt the cold draw start, deep in his burning chest. A last desperate thought crossed his mind. He slammed his eyes shut, and pulled up every bit of training and instinct. He gathered every bit of his personality, every iota of himself, and slammed it deep into his mind, locked behind an impenetrable wall. He was no longer with the living, he had retreated too deep._

Severus awoke once more, but to sunshine, and the scent of flowers. He puttered around the house for a bit, and then went out into the garden. He weeded, pruned and harvested from his lovingly tended plants. He pushed long strands of hair from his face, and got up off his knees. The sunflowers bordering this particular flower bed, bobbed in the breeze over his head. A chill breeze brushed over his bare shoulders, and he turned towards the source. A gate sat directly across the large yard from him, set in one corner of the tall, stone wall that surrounded his garden. He wasn't sure how long he had been living here, but he knew for sure that the gate hadn't been there before. A small sound echoed off the wood of the gate, and Severus took a single step towards it. He froze as an overwhelming wash of fear enveloped him. He stumbled back, and retreated to the cottage. His eyes landed on the gate again, as he shut the door. He wasn't sure what could be on the other side of the gate, but he was terrified to find out.

_Until you find it there and_

_Lead it back home…_

Hermione gently combed through the older man's hair, smoothing it back from his face. The trio had taken on the responsibilities of care for the broken man, once he had been transferred to the Janus Thickney ward. He had spent the first five or so years under the care of Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall, but they had decided that they were getting to old to give him the care he needed. She set down the comb, and tied her own nearly waist length locks with a hair-tie she pulled off her wrist. Neville nodded at her as he escorted his wife and their young daughter on their way in to visit his father. His mother had passed shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione was present the morning Alice had opened her eyes for the last time. She had looked up at Neville, and gently reached up, patting his cheek.

"My beautiful baby, all grown. Love you." They had all stared in shock as her eyes drifted shut once more, and her hand dropped back to the bed. A final breath passed her lips, as Hermione ran for a doctor. Neville had been inconsolable. Especially since a few days after Alice, Frank had woken up, looked at his son and said "Bloody hell, who are you then?" The man's mind was more on par with Lockhart's these days, so he was still kept on the ward for his own safety. Hermione smiled at her friends, and gently pushed the man into a reclining position. She rolled up his sleeves, and began to massage cream into his hands and forearms, chattering away at him.

"I know if you were awake, you would be horribly offended by this, but it is necessary. And I know the boys won't do it. Most they are willin' to do is comb your hair, and shave you by hand. You know, since you've been out, your appearance had changed. I've clipped your hair up to your ears, and keep you clean shaven. Not to mention, you seem to be getting younger. I mean, almost ten years, and you look more on par with me, than with your peers. Your medi-wizard thinks it may be a side effect of combining some of the potions we used when trying to save you. For heaven's sake, you've even gotten more attractive. Makes me think you have been subconsciously projecting glamour for all these years. You don't even look like the same man. I'm done now, Sir." She rolled his sleeves down, fluffed his pillows up, and tucked his arms into his blankets. She slid down off of the high bed with a groan, pressing one hand to the small of her back, and resting the other on her very pregnant belly. She cast a few charms over him, dimming the lights, warming his blankets, and resetting the 'patient out of bed' alarm. She gathered her belongings, and pulled the privacy curtains around his bed.

"Goodnight, Professor."

_Wake me up inside_

_Wake me up inside_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

"He is dying. The spells and medications just aren't maintaining him anymore." Harry bounced his one year old son, standing in front of Ron and Hermione's couch. The baby was fussing, and the melancholy atmosphere was not helping.

"What do we do?" Ron looked irritated, both by the fussing, and the situation. He had never been fond of Snape, and didn't understand why his best friend and wife felt they were responsible for the man.

"Dunno. We aren't even sure what's wrong. Or how long he was like that before he was found."

"We thought he was dead, Mimi!"

"Don't call me that Ron. Well, Harry, we do what I do best. Research. You take his past; I'll take the medical side. I've been bored since they sent me on maternity leave."

Severus was concerned. The days in his garden were growing dimmer. His flowers and plants strained for sunshine, and slowly, one by one, began dying. Even his night friendly plants seemed to be affected. After all, they depended on the moon glow, which was absent without the sun. Whit his plants dying, he could no longer store food stuffs, and he was slowly breaking down, and consuming all his past years' store. Severus grew more worried as the cellar shelves and bins began to empty. Even the magical freezer, stocked full a short time ago, was now bare. He came to the conclusion that he needed to leave his haven. He tried to force himself towards the gate, but the terror kept him from getting within 20 meters. In a final desperate measure, to conserve energy and stores, he lay down and tried to occlude. He was horrified to find the ability gone. Either he had lost it, or… no. That was even more terrifying to consider. With a startled air, he took himself down to his stores, and dosed him self with Dreamless Sleep. With a sigh, the disturbed man drifted off.

_Bid my blood to run_

_Before I come undone_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me, breathe_

_Into me and make me real_

_Bring me to life…_

Hermione continued researching long after Harry had finished. She had given birth, and still she continued, even while the babe was at her breast. One early morning, when she was awake, feeding little Rose, she stumbled across a clue. She flipped the book shut, and stared at the cover. 'Experiments in Mind Magicks, by Lady Cassandra Temperance'

"Of course!" She let the baby finish up, and settled her down. She rushed down the hall, and began pulling books off of her shelves, reading and taking notes. Ron found her there, hours later. She was topless, and had Rose settled across her chest in a sling, and was surrounded by books, parchments, half empty tea cups, and few dirty nappies. Ron vanished the nappies, and cleared the teacups, then took their daughter so that Hermione research in peace, only returning to retrieve the hastily expressed milk for the child.

Severus was determined. His food stores were very low; his magic was not responding properly, his occlusion skills gone. He wanted to figure out why. Why the sun had disappeared, he did not know, but with a few other clues popping up, he had his suspicions. He stomped to the gate, fighting fear every step. He reached out to touch it. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them, was standing back at the edge of his planting bed. He growled, and tried again, but could no longer get past the terror. It had become an invisible wall, keeping him from progressing further. He battered himself against it, and tears began running down his face.

_I've been living a lie_

_There's nothing inside_

_Bring me to life_

_Frozen inside _

_Without your touch_

_Without your love darling_

_Only you are the life_

_Among the dead_

After days of research, Hermione's care day rolled around. The boys and Ginny had covered her last two, but she was ready. She gathered up the baby, and their things, and headed off to St Mungo's. She washed his hair, combed it, and got him all settled. She then settled Rose at her breast, spelling the baby sling to hold her there. She adjusted the bed so that Severus was in a seated position, and his open, blank eyes were level with hers. She began her regular hand massage, but, instead of chatting to him, she tried something she hadn't tried since the first summer after the war.

"Leglimens" Hermione fell into those dark pools, and found herself standing in front of a wall, rising so high she could not see the top of it. A bleak landscape surrounded her, pressed up against the wall. She decided to follow the wall, keeping an eye out for any changes. After awhile, she noticed something new. A gate had loomed up out of nowhere. It was covered in chains, had an iron bolt, and multiple locks. She leaned towards it, and then pressed a cautious hand to it. After nothing happened, she pressed her ear to it, and listened. She could hear muffled sounds coming from the far side. With a tentative air, she lifted her hand and knocked. Once. Twice. She waited, but nothing happened. Eventually, her mind was pulled back to the present with the wriggling of her daughter. She heaved a sigh, and started to pull away. She paused before she exited fully, laying a hand on the gate.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Severus." She pulled out of his mind, and gathered her things. She carefully lay him back down, and pulled the curtain around him.

"Goodnight Severus." She turned to leave, and missed the sight of a single tear running down his face.

_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark_

_But you were there in front of me_

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything…_

Severus woke up in his bed, baffled as to when he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was leaning against the invisible wall, exhausted from battling tangible terror. He rose, fixed a very weak cup of tea, using the same tea leaves for the ninth or tenth time, and grabbed one of the few apples left. He carried his breakfast out to the terror wall, and settled down cross legged next to it. He noticed that it was a little brighter than the abject darkness that had been the norm lately. He crunched through his apple, and cautiously prodded the wall. He began searching for a weak spot, and tapped his way along when he heard it. One knock, than another. He froze, staring in the direction of the gate, waiting for something else to happen. After a moment, he heard muffled footsteps retreating. He flung himself at the barrier, tea and apple forgotten.

"Come back!" His voice was hoarse, and desperate, nearly unrecognizable. "Please, don't… don't leave me here!" A tear trickled down his face and he broke down into sobs.

_Without thought_

_Without voice_

_Without a soul_

_Don't let me die here_

_There must be something more_

_Bring me to life…_

Hermione returned, day after day, with Rose, and without. It wasn't until Rose was nearly one that she noticed a reaction. She repeated her sequence, pulled out, and saw it. A quick blink. She gasped, and struggled to her feet, one hand automatically going to the small of her back, the other hitching her daughter up on her disappearing hip. She darted past a very startled Padma Patil, who scrambled after the rushing woman. They got to the small call room at the end of the hall, and Hermione thrust her daughter into Padma's hands, while dropping to her knees to shove her head into the fireplace.

"Harry!" he ran into the parlor, wondering why Hermione was shouting into the floo.

"Hermione, you are not supposed to be using the floo! It could hurt the baby!" Harry admonished, dropping to his knees in front of the fireplace.

"Oh bother! This is important! Gather the others, and come to Mungo's immediately!" She ducked out, and reached out for her daughter. Padma tutted at her and ran a couple of scans with her wand as Hermione paced.

"Well Mia, you and the munchkin are fine, and so is Miss Rosie here," She reached out and tweaked the girl's nose. "So what is the ruckus?"

"He blinked Padma."

"Who?"

"Snape! I swear, he blinked!" She shook her head incredulously at the darker girl.

"Impossible, the man has been catatonic for nearly ten years. If we didn't use spells to maintain and close his eyes, they would always be open."

"I saw it happen." Hermione frowned and turned back to the floo as her family began arriving.

_Without a thought, _

_Without a voice_

_Without a soul,_

_Don't let me die here _

_There must be something more_

_Bring me to life…._

Severus battered himself against the wall, striving for the gate. His stores long gone, he had come to realize that he was no longer in reality. With that realization, he had become mildly aware of his body. He could feel people handling him, and the barely audible murmur of voices. They were mostly to low for him to make out. A few stood out though. The trio in particular. He had been rather indignant upon discovering that the Trio and Miss Weasley were responsible for his care, but as the days passed, he became a little grateful. It was quite obvious that everyone else had given up. The only visitor he had other than his caregivers happened to be Neville, who only stopped to give his former teacher's hand a squeeze, having long grown out of his terror of the man.

His body was fed regularly, and the necessary physical medicine applied, but no one made any effort to diagnose him, or to fix the issue, except for the Granger chit.

He knew he was dying. His soul had been separated for so long that his body had finally given up. He could hear the woman when she knocked, but was still unable to reach out. Today was different though. When she had turned to leave, and Severus heard her footsteps move away from the gate, he had let out a rough scream, and amazingly, his body had reacted. And when he faintly heard her clamor out of the room, footsteps heavier than he heard in his mind, he slumped against the wall. That is when he found that it had moved. Not far. Just a couple of inches. He was that much closer to the gate.

Hermione handed her daughter to Ginny, and settled back on the bed. She reached out and took Severus's hands, diving back into his mind. Her dream self was still the slick 17 year old Snape would remember. She still found it funny that no matter what she tried, she was always this bushy haired school girl while in Snape's head. She squared her shoulders, and marched to the gate. Once there, she stood in front of it, and took a deep breath. Her hand shot out, and her palm slammed into the gate, making thumping echoes in the silence.

"Snape! I know you hear me! It is time to come OUT!" She shouted, and hit the gate again.

Severus' head snapped up. The thumps echoed around him, and he strained towards the gate, mere millimeters from being able to touch it. He had been fighting the wall, gaining ground every second. He stretched out his hand, and still could not reach. A harsh sob escaped his mouth.

"Help me…."

Hermione froze. A voice. The first sound she had heard that hadn't originated with herself.

"Help me…." She threw herself at the gate, hands clawing at the chains, desperate to help. As she fought, something crept out of the darkness.

"You can't save him." Hermione whipped around, hand reaching for a non-existent wand. She blinked at the owner of the voice. A very young girl, around five, with long copper hair, and emerald green eyes that seemed to glow from within.

"Who are you?!" Hermione was still on edge.

"You know."

"That is impossible."

"Not really. I'm his conscience. The reason he punishes himself. Why he is still in here." The child tilted her head to the side, and gave a creepy little smile. "We would like you to leave now." The girl flicked a hand at Hermione, and she blinked. When her eyes opened, she was back in her own head, staring into Severus' eyes, which were now streaming tears down his face.

The room erupted into chaos. Padma nudged Hermione off the bed, and began running scans on the man. Harry was pacing and talking, but Hermione couldn't hear him. She was too focused.

"Move." She looked at Padma.

"I'm sorry?"

"Move Padma!" She climbed back on the bed, and resumed her earlier position.

"Hermione! This cant be good for the baby!" Harry reached out and shook her shoulder. She didn't even hear him. She had already dived into his mind.

She landed in the familiar blank landscape. She was angry, and her hair was reflecting that. Magic was crackling over her skin and her hair was just getting bigger and bigger. She stomped through the scene towards the gate. The child was sitting in front of the gate, humming, and stroking the wood. New chains were forming under her hands.

"Stop that!" Hermione's voice was shrill and loud in the space. The little girl looked up.

"I thought I told you to leave." She frowned, and stood, waving a hand at the gate. Chains leapt to life, and wrapped the gate tightly.

"You did, but I came back." Hermione smirked. "I came back for _him._" The girl huffed, and stomped her foot. Hermione took a step towards her. The child stood her ground.

"He belongs here."

"Here? Inside his head?"

"Yes, here! With me!" Hermione started as the girl's hair flew into the air, and fire bloomed along the child's skin.

Severus could hear the clinking, and felt himself being pushed back with every few seconds. He was battling the pushing, and the grass was being torn up under his feet.

"No. NO." His chest heaved, and he was hurling himself forwards. The gate was still further away with every breath.

Hermione picked herself up off the ground. She stood and brushed off her sleeve, and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Don't you get it? He doesn't want to be here anymore! Let go!" She flinched away from a thrown fireball. The girl was stalking Hermione, trying to keep her away from the gate. Hermione twitched her hand, sending her own blast of magic at the girl. The child dodges, and the bolt hit's the gate, knocking a chain free. The girl growls, and flings a hand at Hermione.

Severus gained a step, than another. Finally, he was standing in front of the gate. Sweat dripped down his face, and his chest was heaving with ever breath. He straightened his spine, and reached for the latch.

Hermione screamed as one of the girl's projectiles hit her. The flames danced over her skin, and then dissipated. She blindly threw her own, and grinned in victory as she heard a metallic snap. A large clatter let her know she broke something large. The redheaded girl swung her head towards the gate, and then growled when she saw the damage. Her eyes narrowed, and she swung back to Hermione. Hermione smirked, and squared herself, waiting for the girl to do something.

Severus clicked the latch, and stepped through the gate. He blinked, expecting bright sunlight, only to be greeted by a girl in flames flying at one of his students, who was cloaked in lightning. The flames hit the student. He rushed forward, and reached out to separate the two. He grabbed the flame girl, and pulled her off. She shoved at him, and he fell backwards, landing on his rear. The flame girl whirled on him, and froze.

"Lily?"

Hermione screamed as the girl hit her. Everywhere the child touched was pain. It felt like a million bee stings, or like ants were biting her. Just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and the girl was gone. She sat up to look for her assailant. The girl was a few feet from her, standing in front of a seated Severus Snape.

"I'm not Lily."

"But…"

"I'm not."

"Then what the hell are you?"

"I'm you."

"Impossible."

"No, its not. Now," The girl flicked her hand, and Severus was pulled to his feet. "Get back in your room." She gestured, and Severus was flung towards the open gate.

Hermione lunged as the girl's back was turned towards her. Her outstretched hand sunk into the child's back. The girl arched, face to the sky. A soundless scream came out of her, and Severus dropped back to the ground. Hermione yanked her hand back, and the girl fractured. Light leaked out of the cracks, and she slowly fell to pieces. The pieces dissolved into the ground, and the landscape began to change. Hermione watched in wonder as grass began to spill up out of the ground, and trees and homes began to appear. Within seconds, she was standing on the side of a playfield in a London park, looking at Severus standing on the other side.

"Granger?" Severus frowned at the girl, and stalked towards her.

"Hello Professor." He stopped a few feet away. "Where are we?"

"We are in your mind, Sir."

"No we are not."

"Yes, sir, we are." He scoffed and looked around, slowly realizing he knew this place. He drifted off to the edge of the park, and stared down the street.

"Impossible."

"Sir?" Hermione came up towards him. "I need you to think. I need you to wake up."

"I'm not asleep."

"No sir, but you are occluding."  
"I am not. I no longer have the ability."

"Sir, look at the houses." She gestured, and he realized that through the windows, and door, and in the yards, ghostly images of his memories were playing.

"Leave, Granger."

"I can't."

"I said LEAVE."

"I said I CANT." She stomped her foot. "I would have left already if I could. You psyche is no longer trapped. But I can't. When the landscape shifted, I found out I was stuck. You have to get us out. So, I need you to wake up." He scowled at her, and stomped down the street. She drifted behind him.

Out in the real world, they were panicking. Both Hermione and Severus had started to seize. It only lasted a moment, but every time they tried to move her away from him, and the eye contact was interfered with, the seizing started again. The finally devises a bed that kept them sitting across from each other, but near enough to contain eye contact.

Hermione followed him quietly thorough the streets, till they came to a muddy, run down block running along a river. A factory rose on the distant shore, and a wet, dirty smell was bothering Hermione's upper middle class senses. Severus walked along, ignoring the memories until he came to the last house on the lane. The walk was cracked, and chunks were out of place, the garden was destroyed, weeds growing up through carefully planted beds. The house itself was still, no memories playing here. The house was sagging on its foundation, the dun colored paint peeling off the eves. Severus growled and pushed open the gate, scraping the path.

"Come, girl." Severus groused, and stepped through the gate. She followed him up the walk, and through the door.

The room was dusty, and books covered every surface. Her fingers itched to pick up the ancient tomes and leaf through.

"Contain yourself girl, they are not real."

"But they are, Sir, are they not? Back in your home?"

"If I have a home to go back to."

"Oh. You do, Sev- I mean, Sir…" He turned, one eyebrow in the air.

"Why do I get the feeling your not telling me something Miss Granger?"

'There's plenty I'm not saying.' She thought as she followed him into the kitchen.

They drifted up stairs to a small study, and Snape stood in front of a bookcase.

"Why are we here?"

"This is the way out."

"This?"

"Yes, Miss Granger." He reached out for a switch. She leapt forward and stilled his hand.

"Wait!"

"Miss Granger!" He brushed her off of him.

"Just, wait." She took a deep breath, and tilted her head back. "What year is it, Sir?"

"1998. What is wrong with you, Granger?"

"Well sir, it's not me."

"Stop speaking in riddles girl!"  
"Its 2007 sir." She said. His jaw dropped.

"No…"

"Ye-AHHH!" She screamed, and clutched her stomach. She took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm down.

"Good Lord, girl, what is wrong with you?"

"One of the things I should tell you…" She grunted between gritted teeth.

"Well, spit it out girl."

"Labor. Oh, God, we have to get out of here…." A sharp noise of distress came from the man, and he spun around and hit the switch on the bookcase. Light filled the room; he grabbed the girls arm, and threw them both through the opening.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaahhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hermione fell into a body wracked with pain. Her hands reflexively squeezed, and she heard a familiar groan.

"Merlin, Hermione, That hurts worse than the last one." A laugh sobbed out of her at the sound of her husband's voice. A loud groan escaped her as another contraction hit. Medi-witches and wizards swarmed around them, transferring them to another bed, and running scans on Severus, who was grumbling and grousing as the Healers and medics surrounded him.

Epilogue

Hermione lay in the bed, holding her tiny son. She was cooing down at him as the door opened, and a wheelchair was pushed in by Harry. She smiled at the man in the chair.

"Hello, Professor."

"Miss Granger… ah-hem, excuse me. Misses Weasley." She waved him closer, and he maneuvered the chair out of Potter's grasp.

"How are you, Sir?"

"Quite well, thanks to you." He said, trying to look anywhere but at the woman. His pupil had aged well, and was now a very pretty young woman. Motherhood suited her.

"It was nothing sir."

"On the contrary, it was everything. Thank you." She brought her eyes up to meet the man's.

"I'll only accept your thanks on one condition sir."

"What do you want?" He feared she was going to ask him something ridiculous.

"I want you to go, and live." She smiled softly, and he returned it, unable to keep the customary scowl. She nodded at Harry, who came, and began to wheel Severus back to his room.

"One other thing…."  
"Yes, Hermione?"

"Ask Harry what he named his kids." She smirked as Harry blanched, and the door shut behind him.


End file.
